An opioid is a prescribed or illicit painkiller drug. It can either be medically prescribed or obtained illegally often as a narcotic such as heroin. Street heroin spiked with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are causing more people to overdose. According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control drug overdosing is the top cause of death in America for those under 50 years of age. According to statistics from The National Institute on Drug Abuse, every day more than 115 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids. This includes the misuse or addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers such as codeine or illegal narcotics such as heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

This Opioid crisis that affects public health, as well as social and economic welfare, began in the 1990’s when the pharmaceutical industry believed that painkillers carried no addictive potential which contributed to higher rates of pain-relieving prescriptions by health providers. Since then, much has been learned and in response to this nationwide Opioid crisis, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is focusing its efforts on improving access to treatment and recovery services. promoting the use of overdose-reversing drugs, advancing better practices for pain management, providing support for cutting-edge research on pain and addiction, and strengthening our understanding of the epidemic through better public health surveillance.

The El Paso Pain Society is here to assist you if you need help with addiction to painkillers. For more information, please visit www.elpasopain.org or call (915) 593-9300.